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Just another WordPress siteThu, 24 May 2018 19:16:44 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6Chelsea’s pre-season schedule left in disarray with Arsenal game cancelledhttp://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/chelseas-pre-season-schedule-left-in-disarray-with-arsenal-game-cancelled/
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Chelsea’s pre-season schedule left in disarray due to date changes, Arsenal cancellation and venue problems

Chelsea are taking part in the annual International Champions Cup this summer

Their game with Sevilla could change venue and date due to the Europa League

Blues’ game against Arsenal has been cancelled because of Community Shield

Fixture against Inter Milan is also being moved from original Gothenburg venue

Chelsea’s preparations for next season have been hit by complications to their summer friendlies.

Plans to play once in Poland and twice in Sweden as part of the annual International Champions Cup (ICC) tournament are in disarray after a series of complications.

A game against Sevilla, originally set for July 28 in Warsaw, will be subject to a change of venue and possibly a change of date because the Spanish club, having finished seventh in La Liga, will be playing in the Europa League second qualifying round, two days earlier.

Chelsea won the FA Cup last week but their pre-season plans have been hit by complications

Chelsea’s fixture against Arsenal in Stockholm on August 4 has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled because the FA Cup winners will be in the FA Community Shield on August 5.

And a game against Inter Milan, planned for Gothenburg on August 1 will be moved to a different venue.

The ICC tournament organisers are to blame for the confusion and Chelsea must wait for the mess to be sorted out.

Antonio Conte has been involved in pre-season planning but he is unlikely to remain in charge

Although they remain confident games against Sevilla and Inter can still go ahead albeit not at the original venues.

This will be of little consolation for those supporters who moved quickly to book summer holidays and travel around the pre-season fixtures when the details were initially released.

Jamie Vardy admitted his transfer saga with Arsenal during Euro 2016 was a distraction for him, but has vowed to let nothing get in the way at this summer’s World Cup.

The Leicester City striker found himself with a decision to make before the start of the tournament in France after the Gunners triggered his £20million release clause.

Vardy, now 31, eventually decided against the move but it seemed the damage was already done as England went on to put on another underwhelming display at a major tournament.

Jamie Vardy is ready to make amends for England’s Euro 2016 exit at this summer’s World Cup

‘It wasn’t an irritation,’ he said according to the Evening Standard. ‘There was just a lot of time when we were in our rooms to think about it. It wasn’t something you could just put to the back of your mind.

‘But I made my decision back then and I’ve not looked back since, carried on, played my football, been doing well for my club and I think that’s what’s got me the opportunity where I can go to a World Cup.’

Vardy spent much of the Euros rotating with Tottenham striker Harry Kane, where they both struggled to perform, but feels he is better placed now to cope with the pressures of a major competition.

Vardy admitted he was distracted by the ongoing Arsenal speculation at the last Euros

He added: ‘The Euros was a new experience for me and the World Cup is going to be but obviously the Euros is a major tournament as well and you know exactly what you’ve got coming so you can be more relaxed about it knowing I have been there before.’

Vardy is right when he says he has done well for Leicester. Since firing the Foxes to an unprecedented Premier League title in 2015-16, Vardy has scored 33 top flight goals, finishing fourth in the race for the Golden Boot this season behind Sergio Aguero, Kane and Mo Salah.

Vardy is in good form heading into the World Cup after scoring 20 Premier League goals

It is numbers like these that have earned him his place on the plane to this summer’s tournament in Russia, and have also seen speculation around his future rear its face yet again.

Vardy has been linked with a shocking move to Atletico Madrid, with Diego Simeone keen on finding a suitable replacement for Antoine Griezmann, who is looking likely to complete his move to La Liga champions Barcelona this summer.

However, even with such a move reported to be on the cards, Vardy is refusing to be distracted this time round, given that this could be his first and last World Cup.

He believes Gareth Southgate’s squad are high in form heading into the tournament

At the Euros, Vardy watched on as Iceland stunned England to arguably their worst defeat at a major tournament as they were dumped out in the Last 16.

Now though, Vardy believes Gareth Southgate is taking a team full of confidence and high in form to this summer’s tournament.

‘The boss has picked a lot of players who are in form and rightly so,’ he added. ‘They deserve to have their call-up and he is going for it. It is a young squad, anything can happen any everyone wants to be going out there in our heads thinking we can win it.

‘But we have to be on our game every day, making sure we are at 100 per cent and working to get as far as possible.’

The Leicester striker believes England must believe they can win the tournament to do well

But more than three months later, they appear no closer to striking an announcement – with the driver stating this week that he is not in a rush to get the deal over the line.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff emphasised again in Monaco that he is entirely confident Hamilton will extend his stay beyond the end of this season.

‘We haven’t set a fixed date where we want to announce, but I can tell you that I don’t see a reason why this shouldn’t be happening,’ Wolff said on Thursday.

‘This is a work in progress and we see no hurry to pressurise each other into signing a document that will eventually anyway happen.

‘We’ve had very good conversations and there is no desire for him to leave the team, and we have no desire for us to lose him.’

However, Horner – whose Red Bull drivers set the pace in both practice sessions for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix – believes cash is the contributing factor to the ongoing hold-up.

‘I imagine that a delay can only involve money,’ Horner, the Red Bull team principal, said.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is yet to sign new deal estimated to be worth up to £40m-a-year

‘I should think it is such a grotesque amount of money that Toto’s talking about it is probably what’s making his and [Mercedes’ non-executive chairman] Niki Lauda’s eyes water at the moment.

‘Lewis has got an expensive lifestyle. He is a four-time world champion and I doubt he is cheap.’

Hamilton’s Mercedes team arrived at the principality fearing they would be playing catch-up to both Ferrari and Red Bull – and so it proved in practice on Thursday.

While Daniel Ricciardo completed a practice double to cement Red Bull’s tag as the pre-race favourites, Hamilton, who holds a 17-point championship lead, could manage only fourth as he finished more than half-a-second off the pace.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff emphasised that he is confident Hamilton will extend his stay

Mercedes have struggled at the slow-speed Monte Carlo street circuit in recent years – and Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas was further back in sixth.

Ferrari notoriously keep a little in reserve in practice. Vettel was 0.572 seconds adrift of Ricciardo’s best effort, but it is Red Bull who will head into the remainder of the weekend confident that they can secure their first pole position since Ricciardo stormed to the front here two years ago.

A cautious Horner added: ‘Both drivers seem reasonably comfortable in the car but as we’ve seen Saturday has been our weakness throughout the season.

‘We’ve always had a strong race car, but Saturday is where we’ve tended to struggle, at the business end of qualifying.

‘Hopefully with the shorter straights here and with this circuit layout, it offers us our best qualifying chance of the season.’

]]>http://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/red-bulls-christian-horner-thinks-money-is-behind-hamiltons-delay-in-signing-deal/feed/0UEFA backs Ukrainian action against match-fixers as football world comes to Kievhttp://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/uefa-backs-ukrainian-action-against-match-fixers-as-football-world-comes-to-kiev/
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UEFA backs Ukrainian action against match-fixers as football world comes to Kiev for Champions League final

UEFA is adamant that Ukraine’s match-fixing scandal will not overshadow final

On Tuesday, Ukrainian police announced results of their first major investigation

Police conducted 40 raids across the country, arresting more than 300 people

Police believe 35 clubs have fixed games, with five being Premier League sides

On Tuesday, Ukrainian police announced the results of their first major investigation into match-fixing since specific laws against football corruption were introduced in the country in 2015.

Having tracked five criminal gangs for more than a year, police conducted 40 raids across the country, arresting more than 300 people, including administrators, club owners, coaches, players and referees.

UEFA is adamant that Ukraine’s match-fixing scandal will not overshadow Saturday’s final

Vitalii Danylchenko, the secretary of the Football Federation of Ukraine’s (FFU) ethics and fair play committee, told Press Association Sport that the police believe 35 clubs have fixed games, with five of these being Ukrainian Premier League sides.

The majority of these clubs, however, come from Ukraine’s lower leagues and U21 and U19 championships, and Ukraine’s two best-known sides, Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk, are not implicated.

But in a press conference on Wednesday, FFU president Andriy Pavelko admitted there were probably 100 fixed games in Ukraine every year, although ’99 per cent’ of those take place in the lower leagues or youth football.

Andriy Pavelko (right) admitted there were probably 100 fixed games in Ukraine every year

He said this was why Ukraine became the first country to ban betting on age-group football six months ago, although the real issue is gambling in the Far East. Pavelko said fixers bribe players and officials with sums ranging from £1,000 to £3,000 to engineer pre-determined results.

Pavelko told reporters in Kiev that this police action ‘sent out a clear signal that fixed matches would not be tolerated in Ukraine’.

In a statement, a UEFA spokesperson said: ‘We were aware of the investigation and continue to support the FFU in its coordination with Ukrainian public authorities in taking this important action in the fight against match-fixing.’

Logos of Ukrainian football clubs, suspected by National Police to be involved in match-fixing

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]]>http://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/uefa-backs-ukrainian-action-against-match-fixers-as-football-world-comes-to-kiev/feed/0Andres Iniesta reveals he turned down offers from various clubshttp://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/andres-iniesta-reveals-he-turned-down-offers-from-various-clubs/
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Andres Iniesta revealed he turned down offers from various clubs before accepting the ‘very interesting project’ presented to him by Japanese side Vissel Kobe.

The 34-year-old Spain playmaker has opted to continue his playing career in the Far East after calling time on a trophy-laden spell with Barcelona.

He left the Catalan giants after landing his ninth La Liga title with the club, while he also secured a host of other honours during his 16-year stay in the Barca first team, including four Champions League triumphs.

Andres Iniesta revealed he turned down offers from various clubs before joining Vissel Kobe

Iniesta admits he had several options on the table as he plotted his next step, but felt Vissel Kobe was the right one for him.

He said at a press conference, as reported by the Spanish press: ‘It’s a special day for me.

‘It’s an important challenge for me and my career. I want to express my gratitude to the club for placing their faith in me for this project.

‘I’ve been fortunate to have different offers but the project that Vissel Kobe presented to me seemed very interesting.’

Iniesta, who has been named in Spain’s 23-man squad for this summer’s World Cup in Russia, added: ‘I can’t wait to start working with my team-mates. This is a country that I love.

‘We hope, both my family and I, that we adapt quickly and learn the Japanese culture.

Iniesta admits he had several options on the table but felt Vissel Kobe was the right one for him

‘I have a lot of respect for Japanese football and much respect for the Japanese players. They are intelligent players with great technical ability.’

Vissel Kobe, coached by Takayuki Yoshida, sit sixth in the Japanese top flight after 15 games of their season, already 15 points behind runaway leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Vissel Kobe chairman Hiroshi Mikitani told reporters at a press conference: ‘I am pleased to announce that Andres Iniesta will be signing up to play for Vissel Kobe after his historic career at FC Barcelona.

‘Iniesta is a top global player. Many of us will recall Iniesta’s astounding goal in the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa that brought Spain its first title in the tournament.

‘Since 2015, Iniesta has also led FC Barcelona as captain and last year he was the first player to sign a lifetime contract with the club.’

Mikitani added: ‘I am confident Iniesta’s philosophy, leadership and DNA will be a terrific inspiration, not only for Vissel Kobe but all Japanese football society.

‘We look forward to Andres Iniesta not only strengthening the team’s performance but also contributing to the development of the next generation of players through the introduction of the Iniesta methodology to the youth academy.

‘We believe his decision to come to Japan will have a major impact, not just on Vissel Kobe, but on football in Japan and Asia.’

Spaniard Iniesta left Catalan giants Barcelona after landing his ninth La Liga title with the club

Mikitani continued: ‘Iniesta will raise the profile of Japanese football globally and we are working on activities to leverage his presence here and promote the J.League worldwide.

‘I am very proud to see this day come.

‘We will do everything in our power to support Iniesta during his time in Japan and show us all his beautiful, inspiring play.’

Iniesta played the final match of his 22-year Barca career last Sunday as the club rounded off their title-winning LaLiga campaign with a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp.

He came through the club’s famous La Masia academy and, as well as numerous club honours, he won the 2010 World Cup with Spain and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012.

It was meant to be another fresh start with Joe Root finally stamping his authority on an under-performing Test side. Instead it was the most worrying indication yet that England are going backwards.

This was a truly miserable performance from an England side who had been making all the right noises in the early stages of a summer where they simply have to prove they have not taken their eye off the red ball.

They were just not able to back up their words with deeds on the first day of the first Test as all the fragility and recklessness of a winter where they failed to win a single one of their seven Tests returned with avengeance at Lord’s.

Joe Root walks off the field as England crashed to another low score on home turf

Alastair Cook welcomed in a return to form as he hit 70 on an otherwise sorry day for England

The former captain looked assured and composed as he dealt with a grassy wicket at Lord’s

Cook was bowled out for 70 by a brilliant delivery from Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir

Amir celebrates after dispatching the stubborn Cook and hand Pakistan a huge advantage

It is all very well picking a bold, exciting looking team but it is pointless if all that attacking flair is not married to an application that remains lacking in an England Test side who have stagnated, or worse, over the last two years.

They can just about get away with losing abroad because so few Test sides win away series these days but if England start losing on the green grass of home then that is an altogether more serious matter.

That decline may well have begun in 2016 when Pakistan held England to a 2-2 draw here with two wins in London under the inspirational captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq and briefly went to the top of the world rankings.

Yet it is a very different and vastly less experienced Pakistan side who turned up yesterday and performed like Lord’s veterans to bowl England out for a paltry 184, the last five crashing for 16 runs in just 27 balls.

There will be those who blame Root, who needs to start winning after a mediocre first year in charge, for deciding to bat on a cloudy London day after overnight rain in conditions that were screaming out ‘bowl first!’

But there was logic behind Root’s call because Mick Hunt’s pitch still seemed dry and England sensed their chance to put a big total on the board and dictate terms against a side who have tumbled to seven in those ICC rankings.

Mark Stoneman managed just four runs before he was clean bowled by Mohammad Abbas

Joe Root, playing at No 3, was caught for four runs after swinging wildly at Hasan Ali’s ball

Ali of Pakistan celebrates dismissing England captain Root during the first Test at Lord’s

Not a bit of it. Instead England collapsed as only they seem able to do with only the under pressure Alastair Cook providing any sort of solidity and substance against intelligent and highly skilled bowling.

Mohammad Amir, who lost little of his precocious ability during five, long years in disgrace out of the game, was perceived as the biggest threat to England, certainly in the absence of the injured master leg-spinner Yasir Shah.

But Amir’s contribution was restricted to the beauty that bowled Cook after he had eased worries that he is in decline with an impressive 70 notable for much better footwork and a number of fluent off and cover drives.

Cook has been all feast or famine since giving up the captaincy, making two double hundreds in the last year but scoring just 23 runs in four innings in New Zealand in what became the worst series of his distinguished career.

This was neither and Cook will be angry with himself for failing to convert such a good start but how England needed him on a day when no-one else suggested permanence against two lesser known Pakistan bowlers.

Ben Stokes put up a brave fight to hit 38 before being caught lbw by Abbas later in the day

Jos Buttler was the third highest scorer in England’s first innings with a modest score of 14

Mohammad Abbas is in only his seventh Test but impressed in Pakistan’s victory in Ireland’s debut Test with nine wickets and now proved himself perfect in English conditions with his lively seam bowling to take four England scalps.

And the even less experienced Hasan Ali, who starred in last year’s Champions Trophy success but is in only his third Test, was not far behind him with four wickets of his own, each celebrated with a wild enthusiasm.

Nothing summed up England’s plight more than the way Root, back where he belongs at No 3, gave away his wicket with what must be one of the worst shots he has ever played in Test cricket.

England had already lost Mark Stoneman, lucky to retain his place here after appearing to go backwards during the winter and now given a thorough working over by Abbas before he was comprehensively bowled.

So there was no possible reason for Root to aim the loosest of drives to a wide ball from Hasan and edge through to a disbelieving Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who saw his side bowl and field with aplomb throughout the day.

Captain Root talks to his England players as they prepare to take to the field after hitting 184

Stuart Broad appeals to the umpire after trapping Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq for lbw on review

England players wait for the decision to be confirmed by the fourth umpire after reviewing

Root ended a chastening Ashes exhausted, ill and out on his feet and then saw his side lose in New Zealand after they collapsed to 27 for nine on the first morning in Auckland in an even more spectacular collapse.

He has started this summer demanding greater levels of fitness and intensity from his side but has to remember that his greatest value to England is as the best batsman in the side. This was irresponsible leadership by example.

The tone was set and England came tumbling down again, the only glimmer of hope coming when Ben Stokes made his positive way to 38 before falling to a reviewed lbw shout that was proved by technology to have pitched just in line.

Conditions remained perfect for bowling but England could not replicate Pakistan’s skill, failing to follow the basics of pitching the ball up, as the visitors moved to 50 for just the loss of Imam-ul-Haq to another reviewed lbw by the close.

And England’s plight was epitomised by the sight of Stokes diving across second slip to drop Haris Sohail on 16 when it would have been a dolly for Malan.

There is plenty of time for England to hit back but they have made it mightily hard for themselves yet again.

Root left with plenty to ponder as England slumped against Pakistan in their homecoming Test

Ferrari are under investigation by Formula One’s governing body following allegations that they have broken the rules this season.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, the closest title challenger to Lewis Hamilton, won the opening two rounds of the season, and rival teams believe the Italians have been gaining an advantage by deploying more engine power than is permitted.

The FIA is understood to have been monitoring the situation from as early as the first races in Australia and Bahrain.

Ferrari are under investigation by the FIA over claims they have broken engine power rules

On the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix, they have demanded that Ferrari run a device on their engine to ensure they are sticking to the rules.

F1 confirmed the news on its website late on Thursday evening, writing: ‘The governing body have asked the Prancing Horse to run an extra piece of hardware that monitors their Energy Recovery System.

‘This weekend, the FIA will monitor the system in operation before analysing data and making any judgements.’

Sebastian Vettel won the first two races, but rivals feel they may have had an illegal advantage

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]]>http://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/ferrari-investigated-over-claims-they-have-broken-f1-engine-rules/feed/0Kyle Edmund to face Australian teenager Alex de Minaur in French Open first roundhttp://yourfile.cf/2018/05/24/kyle-edmund-to-face-australian-teenager-alex-de-minaur-in-french-open-first-round/
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Kyle Edmund to face Australian teenager Alex de Minaur in French Open first round after being seeded No 16 at Roland Garros

Kyle Edmund represents Britain’s best chance at the French Open this year

He has been handed his first ever Grand Slam seeding for Roland Garros

British No 1 could face Fabio Fognini in third round and Marin Cilic in the fourth

Kyle Edmund will play Australian teenager Alex de Minaur in the first round of the French Open, which starts on Sunday.

Edmund represents the best chance of maintaining direct British singles interest into the second week, and as sixteenth seed – his first Slam seeding – he will face the highly-rated youngster.

Things could get difficult from the third round onwards, as he would be expected to meet mercurial Italian Fabio Fognini in the last 32 and then possibly Marin Cilic in the fourth round, which he made last year.

Kyle Edmund will play Australian teenager Alex de Minaur in the first round of the French Open

Cameron Norrie, the other British man in the draw, will face improving German Peter Gojowczyk, but should do so with plenty of confidence.

Earlier on Thursday he scored his best career win by ranking when he beat America’s John Isner to reach the semi-final of the ATP event in Lyon.

He meets Frenchman Gilles Simon on Friday

Rafael Nadal, strongly favoured to win an eleventh Paris title, begins against Alex Dolgopolov and is in the opposite half of the draw to Novak Djokovic.

MEN’S DRAW

Nadal (1) vs Dolgopolov

Berankis vs A.Zverev (2)

Cilic (3) vs Duckworth

Troicki vs Dimitrov (4)

Mahut vs Del Potro (5)

Lorenzi vs Anderson (6)

Goffin (8) vs Haase

Isner (9) vs Rubin

De Minaur vs Edmund (16) (GB)

Gojowczyk vs Norrie (GB)

The British No 1 is seeded 16th after recently breaking into the world’s top 20

Daniel Ricciardo will struggle to improve on his current situation at Red Bull if he decides to leave when his contract expires, warns Mark Webber.

Ricciardo’s deal ends at the conclusion of the 2018 season, with the Australian linked to both Ferrari and Mercedes as he seeks a car capable of delivering him a long-awaited maiden F1 world title.

Red Bull have had an up-and-down campaign so far – the nadir came in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where Ricciardo and team mate Max Verstappen collided, however they were the two quickest in practice for Monaco on Thursday.

Daniel Ricciardo will struggle to improve on his situation at Red Bull, warns Mark Webber

Ricciardo was quickest in Monaco GP practice but has been linked with a move in 2019

Webber however feels Ricciardo could stay at Red Bull, if they deliver a more consistent car

Former Red Bull driver Webber, who will feature in Channel 4’s coverage of Sunday’s race in Monte Carlo, said this demonstrated how – with a bit of consistency from the team – Ricciardo could be best off where he is already.

Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, Webber said: ‘If Daniel’s winning races, he’s going to stay. They are making Daniel feel like he’s wanted and a key member of the team, but going for wins hasn’t quite happened yet.

‘Baku was obviously a disaster, there has obviously been some tension and if they stay together they have to get him in a winning position, consistently challenging for victories which is a while off yet because of the engine situation. But it’s certainly manageable.

‘Look, if Daniel gets opportunities to go elsewhere with a faster car on more circuits around the world, he is going to do that. That won’t be easy though, because he’s in a sensational team. Red Bull is a world class operation.’

Webber, who twice won in Monaco for Red Bull, said he has given advice to Max Verstappen

Webber, who twice won the Monaco GP for Red Bull – in 2010 and 2012 – also said he had been giving advice to Verstappen, whose aggressive driving style, while winning him fans, has also seen him suffer two retirements in the first five races of the season.

The Australian, who raced for Red Bull between 2007 and 2013, said: ‘There is still a little bit of polishing to be done. I’m a huge Verstappen fan, I love watching him race, he’s fast, brave and gladiatorial. But over time, you need a bit more Alain Prost coming into your driving.

‘He knows the first part of the season has not been to the level he would like. His speed is not in question, but it’s a case of polishing up those one-on-one battles to keep his skin intact.’

‘When I see him, we talk, and I have given him advice. I’ve told him to tidy up, this year we have seen battles that haven’t gone his way. It’s a case of balancing that first lap aggression, which doesn’t always come off.’

The build-up to Monaco has been overshadowed slightly by the argument over ‘grid girls’

The build-up to Monaco has been overshadowed slightly with the decision by race organisers to defy the FIA and continue employing female models – ‘grid girls’ – before Sunday’s race.

Liberty Media abolished the long-standing F1 tradition at the beginning of the year after denouncing the practice as ‘at odds with modern-day societal norms’.

Webber, while admitting the issue remains a sensate one, backed the decision to bring back the models, as long as it is done in a tasteful manner.

He said: ‘It’s an answer you can’t win with. What is a grid girl? Is it promotional, is it done in a tasteful way? In terms of them standing there with the grid numbers, those days are gone, but is there space for women on the grid – men or women – absolutely.’